With 100% English Ancestry, I thought it might be really difficult to trace my ancestors back in England from Canada. Only my mother, her father and his mother were born in Canada. This Blog will talk about researching my English ancestors from Canada but also the ancestors of our son in law whose families stretch back far into Colonial French Canada. My one name study of Blake and of Pincombe also dominate my blog these days.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Will of Benjamin Blake, Chirurgeon's Mate on board the Ship President - The National Archives PROB 11/369, probated 2 Mar 1682

Benjamin Blake is the testator. There are a couple of possibilities for Benjamin in Family Search but there aren’t any particular references in this will to an area in the British Isles.

1 Memorandum That Benjamin Blake late Chirurgeons
2 Mate being on bord the Ship the President and falling very ill did upon the High and
3 open Seas dureing such his illnesse and pertinently over about the Fifteenth day of
4 November One thousand six hundred and eighty being then of sound and perfect
5 mind and memory and having a mind to make and declare his last Will and Testament
6 Nuncupative or by word of mouth as to the disposeing of his wages due on boat the said
q Ship and what else hee had in the world hee did give and bequeath unto Joseph Branch
8 Chirurgeon his Fellow mate and do make him the said Joseph Branch his Executor
9 All which words or the same in effect hee the said desired uttered and declared for
10 and as his last Will and Testament and with an intent the same should stand for
11 and bee his last Will and Testament which words were spoken on bord the said Shipp
12 on or about the said Fifteenth day of November One Thousand Six hundred
13 and eighty hee being then in his perfect mind and memory and dyed within one or two
14 dayes then next following Richard Featherston John Guittings
15 Probatum fuit humoi Testum Nuncupation apud London Coram venerabli
16 viro Henrico Ganton beinge Legum Doctour Surragato venerabilis et egrigij viri Dri
17 Seolim Jenkins Militis Legum etiam Doctoris Curie Prerogative Cantuariensis
18 Magri Custodi sive Commissarij legitime Constituti Secundo die mensis
19 Martij Anno Domino (Stylo Anglia) Millesimo Sexcentismo Octogesimo primo
20 Juramento Joseph Branch Executoris in dicto Testamento nominate Cui Comissa
21 fuit Administratio omnium et Singulorum bonorum _____ dicti
22 defuncti de bene et fideliter Administrando eadem ad Sancta Dei Evangelia _____
23 Richarde Featherston et Johane Guittings Ertibus Tempore Conditioni ____
24 declar___ eadem Testamenti Nunc _entibus etiam Jurat